Richard Yates (novelist)
| Richard Yates | |
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 Richard Yates in 1960 |
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| Born | February 3, 1926 Yonkers, New York |
| Died | November 7, 1992 (aged 66) |
| Occupation | novelist, short story writer |
| Nationality | United States |
| Literary movement | Realism |
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Richard Yates (February 3, 1926 – November 7, 1992) was an American novelist and short story writer, known for his exploration of mid-20th century life.
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[edit] Life
Born in Yonkers, New York, Yates came from an unstable home. His parents divorced when he was three and much of his childhood was spent in many different towns and residences. Yates first became interested in journalism and writing while attending Avon Old Farms School in Avon, Connecticut.
After leaving Avon, Yates joined the Army, serving in France and Germany during World War II. By the middle of 1946, he was back in New York.[2] Upon his return to New York he worked as a journalist, freelance ghost writer (briefly writing speeches for Attorney General Robert Kennedy) and publicity writer for Remington Rand Corporation.[3] His career as a novelist began in 1961 with the publication of the widely heralded Revolutionary Road. He subsequently taught writing at Columbia University, the New School for Social Research,[2] Boston University (where his papers are archived),[4] at the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop, at Wichita State University, the University of Southern California Master of Professional Writing Program, and at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.[5]
In 1962, he wrote the screenplay for a film adaptation of William Styron's Lie Down in Darkness. Twice divorced, Yates was the father of three daughters: Sharon, Monica and Gina. In 1992, he died of emphysema and complications from minor surgery in Birmingham, Alabama.[6]
His daughter Monica once dated Seinfeld co-creator Larry David; David's first meeting with the writer was the basis for "The Jacket" episode of Seinfeld's second season.[7]
[edit] Novels
Yates's first novel, Revolutionary Road, was a finalist for the National Book Award that year (alongside Walker Percy's The Moviegoer, which won, and Joseph Heller's Catch-22). Yates was championed by writers as diverse as Kurt Vonnegut, Dorothy Parker, William Styron, Tennessee Williams and John Cheever. Yates's brand of realism was a direct influence on writers such as Andre Dubus, Raymond Carver and Richard Ford.[2]
For much of his life, Yates's work met almost universal critical acclaim, yet not one of his books sold over 12,000 copies in hardcover first edition.[8] All of his novels were out of print in the years after his death, though his reputation has substantially increased posthumously and many of his novels have since been reissued in new editions. This current success can be largely traced to the influence of Stewart O'Nan's 1999 essay in the Boston Review, "The Lost World of Richard Yates: How the great writer of the Age of Anxiety disappeared from print".
With the revival of interest in Yates's life and work after his death, Blake Bailey published the first in-depth biography of Yates, A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates (2003). Film director Sam Mendes directed Revolutionary Road. It was released on 26 December 2008. The film was nominated for BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Academy Awards, and others. Kate Winslet thanked Richard Yates for writing such a powerful novel and providing such a strong role for a woman while accepting a Golden Globe for Best Actress Award for the film.[9]
[edit] Short fiction
Yates was also an acclaimed author of short stories. Despite this, only one of his short stories appeared in The New Yorker (after repeated rejections). This story, "The Canal," was published in the magazine nine years after the author's death to celebrate the 2001 release of The Collected Stories of Richard Yates.
[edit] Popular culture citations
- Richard Yates was godfather to the veteran character actor John Lacy.
Films
- In the movie Lonesome Jim (2005) the protagonist cites Yates as one of his favorite authors and adds that when he died all his books were out of print.
- In Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Lee (Barbara Hershey) thanks Elliott (Michael Caine) for lending her The Easter Parade, which she says was great.
Novels
- Nick Hornby's 2005 novel A Long Way Down features several suicidal characters; one of them carries a copy of Revolutionary Road so that it may be discovered on his corpse.[10]
- Tao Lin's 2010 novel, from Melville House Publishing, is entitled Richard Yates.
Other
- Singer Tanita Tikaram's 1992 album title, Eleven Kinds of Loneliness, was borrowed from Yates's 1962 collection of short stories.
- A character similar to Yates, "Alton Benes" was portrayed in an episode of Seinfeld, Elaine's taciturn and hard-driving father who totally intimidates George and Jerry. Larry David, the show's executive producer, once dated Yates's daughter, Monica.
[edit] Bibliography
- Revolutionary Road (1961)
- Eleven Kinds of Loneliness (1962) (stories)
- A Special Providence (1969)
- Disturbing the Peace (1975)
- The Easter Parade (1976)
- A Good School (1978)
- Liars in Love (1981) (stories)
- Young Hearts Crying (1984)
- Cold Spring Harbor (1986)
- The Collected Stories of Richard Yates (2001)
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[edit] Filmography
- The Bridge at Remagen (screenplay) (1969)
- Lie Down In Darkness (screenplay, unproduced) (1985)
- Revolutionary Road (2008)
[edit] References
- ^ "The Hum Inside the Skull, Revisited", The New York Times, 2005-01-16. Retrieved on 2008-04-12.
- ^ a b c A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates. 2003.
- ^ Ford, Richard (2000-04-09). "Essay; American Beauty (Circa 1955)". The New York Times Book Review (The New York Times Company). http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900E3DF123CF93AA35757C0A9669C8B63. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
- ^ "Drinking With Dick Yates". The North American Review: 75. May–August 2001.
- ^ Bradfield, Scott. "Follow the long and revolutionary road". http://www.richardyates.org/bib_bradfield.html.
- ^ Pace, Eric (1992-11-09). "Richard Yates, Novelist, 66, Dies; Chronicler of Disappointed Lives". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6DD1138F93AA35752C1A964958260. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
- ^ Bailey, Blake. A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates. Picador, 2003.
- ^ "A Fresh Twist in the Road For Novelist Richard Yates, a Specialist in Grim Irony, Late Fame's a Wicked Return". Los Angeles Times. July 9, 1989.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0959337/awards
- ^ Film Review: Revolutionary Road, Peter Bradshaw, Guardian, 2009 Jan 30
[edit] Further reading
- Mitgang, Herbert, "Moving the Story Along", The New York Times, October 28, 1984.
- O'Nan, Stewart, "The Lost World of Richard Yates: How the great writer of the Age of Anxiety disappeared from print", Boston Review, October/November, 1999
- Wood, James, "Out of the ashes: James Wood salutes Blake Bailey's generous biography of Richard Yates, A Tragic Honesty", The Guardian, Saturday September 25, 2004. Guardian article on Yates biography.
- Amidon, Stephen, "Movie May Renew Interest in Richard Yates", The Sunday Times, March 9, 2009.
Klin, Richard, "Yates' Legacy," January Web zine, 2003.
[edit] External links
- 1926 births
- 1992 deaths
- American novelists
- Deaths from emphysema
- Guggenheim Fellows
- People from Yonkers, New York
- People from Putnam County, New York
- Iowa Writers' Workshop faculty
- Writers from New York
- American military personnel of World War II
- Columbia University faculty
- The New School faculty
- Boston University faculty
- Wichita State University faculty
- University of Southern California faculty
- University of Alabama faculty
